1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of transportation equipment, and more particularly to equipment for carrying bicycles in the assembled state on vehicles such as buses.
2. Prior Art
In recent years there has been a great resurgence in bicycling in the United States particularly with the adult population, both as a form of recreation and as a form of exercise. In response to this interest and other ecology related interests, bicycle trails and paths have been set aside or even constructed anew especially for such activity. Accordingly, there is a frequently encountered need to transport bicycles on vehicles of various kinds.
Bicycle carriers for private automobiles are well known in the prior art. The most popular of such carriers mount to the rear bumper of the automobile and have an upward projecting framework supporting two generally horizontal rearward projecting hooks for receiving one or two bicycles. Typically the bicycle frame is placed on the hooks and the bicycle is tied into position by various means such as an elastic cord, with the entire assembly being stabilized by a strap running from the top of the frame assembly to the forward edge of the trunk lid. Some such bicycle carriers utilize a pair of vertically disposed tube sections fastened to the vehicle bumper, with the upright frame assembly having a slip fit into the tube section so as to allow quick removal for access to the trunk region, etc. when desired.
The foregoing type of bicycle carrier typically carries one or two bicycles in a generally upright orientation perpendicular to the direction of motion of the vehicle. Other types of carriers are also known which hold one or more bicycles in alternate positions. By way of example some bicycle carriers are adapted to mount on the roof of the automobile and to receive a bicycle in the inverted position, e.g., resting on the handle bars and generally aligned with the vehicle axis.
Another form of carrier is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,421. This type of carrier mounts to the trunk lid of an automobile and holds a plurality of bicycles in the generally upright position aligned with the axis of the vehicle, with the bicycle being retained in position by clamps supported from the frame of the carrier. The bicycles are supported in an approximately horizontal position and must be generally lifted onto the rack, as the lowest portion of the bicycle support members of the rack are approximately even with the upper rear portion of the trunk lid or higher. (Another rack of this same general type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,425, with still another rack being shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,975, the latter rack being pivotable to provide trunk access, though even when pivoted down, does not provide a ramp from ground level for easy loading).
At the present time bicycles are sometimes carried on commercial vehicles such as buses, though typically they are carried in an at least partially disassembled state in the baggage compartment of the vehicle. This method of carrying bicycles typically requires not only the partial disassembly of the bicycle but further requires the driver's attention in loading and unloading the bicycles, thereby making it suitable only for long cross country trips, as opposed to short bus trips to the beach or other locations of the bicycle path. One carrier is known for commercial vehicles and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 615,264. This carrier was intended to mount on the end of a street car and to support one bicycle primarily by the front wheel thereof. The carrier has no convenient way of locking the bicycle to the carrier or for extracting a toll for the use thereof, and in fact is intended only for the support of a single bicycle at one end of the street car. The carrier itself is substantially permanently fastened to the street car, and in general is shown as only being used on a surface of the street car which in general does not require access for servicing of an engine, etc. as commonly encountered on modern buses. The support of the bicycle primarily from the front wheel as shown in this patent is undesirable with modern bicycles, as typically such bicycles are adapted for the easy and quick removal of the front wheel, and accordingly the front wheel could be vibrated loose in transport resulting in the loss of the main portion of the bicycle. In that regard, the rack of U.S. Pat. No. 626,535 is similar, in that the support is on the front wheel.
In addition to the foregoing, various types of locks for locking bicycles into some form of bicycle stand are known, including those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,749,295; 3,802,232 and 3,865,245. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,176,903 shows a carrier very different from the present invention, that carrier including supplementary tail lights.